Love Works in Funny Ways
by BladefireA
Summary: Three days after Kira is killed, what will Near discover when he takes a visit to Matt and Mello's apartment?


Near walked into the dingy apartment, flanked by Rester and Gevanni. It was cold and silent in there, as if it was a tomb. It had been three days since Light Yagami-Kira-had been killed. Obviously, that meant it had been almost a week since Mello and Matt had died. That's why they were here. Near had requested they go there, although his companions did not know why. Of course, they just went along with it and brought him there.

The apartment was littered with chocolate bar wrappers. There was even an unfinished bar on a table, sitting next to a computer. There was laundry strewn everywhere, along with some takeout containers lying around. There was very dim lighting and it was hard to see well. The brightest light came from the large TV that was against the south wall. It had been left on all this time, with what looked like Grand Theft Auto paused on the screen. Matt must have been playing right before they left. Too bad he would never be able to finish the game.

Near continued through the apartment. When he stepped into one of the bedrooms, he could tell right away it was Matt's room. The reason he could tell was because there were no chocolate bar wrappers whatsoever (not to mention the PSP on the bedside table). Near walked around the room, looking for nothing in particular. When his eyes landed on the small desk, he spotted a sheet of paper lying alone right in the center, partially wrinkled.

Near walked over to the desk and picked up the paper. It looked like a note, or maybe a letter. It wasn't Matt's handwriting, though. It was Mello's. By now, Near's curiosity had peaked, so he decided to just sit down and read the letter.

_Matt-_

_If you are reading this, that means you survived. I'm glad for that, even if I can't be there to celebrate. I just wanted to tell you everything that has been on my heart ever since you came to save me in that horrible fire back in LA._

_Look, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for always treating you like you were disposable. I know that I haven't really treated you like a real friend for years now. I know you probably felt like I was using you. I realized I was, and I'm sorry. I never really did anything for you, just yelled at you to keep watching the cameras. I never even thanked you for saving my life._

_But Matt, I really do care for you. The reason why I usually kept you locked in the apartment was because I didn't want anybody to hurt you. I know I was being overprotective, but…you really are my best friend. You always will be._

_Remember when we were back at Wammy's? We were so close and trusted each other enough to share our real names with each other. We did everything together, even if it meant I had to play video games with you. Truth is, even if I didn't like what we were doing, I liked being around you. I never would have admitted that while I was alive, but now that I'm gone, I can find peace in telling you this._

_I wish we could be kids again, and go back to the house. I wish we would just remain young and carefree forever and never have a worry in the world. I grew up too fast, dragging you with me. I'm so sorry. I wish I could make it up to you. I wish that I could be with you right now, just to be with you again._

_Truth is, Matt…I love you. I don't care about how you think of me after reading that, having your image of me tainted…but I love you and I wanted to tell you that. I'm so thankful to you, for sticking by me and not running away when we would get in trouble like others would. I was always afraid to tell you how I really feel because I didn't want you leaving me. So I just stayed quiet and allowed the both of us to live our own ways. But now…now I just want to go back and tell you all over again, and I want to know what it's like to be with somebody you love._

_Like I said before, I'm sorry. I love you Matt, and I hope that you survive to get this._

_Mello_

Near sighed and folded the note up. He stood up and looked around the room. He, for the first time in a long time, felt some sort of emotion. It was like a mixture of sadness, pity, regret, and so many other emotions. He felt bad.

He never realized that Mello cared so much for Matt. Mello was overemotional, of course; but he never thought Mello loved anybody on an intimate level. He sighed and looked at the paper in his hands. _Too bad Matt will never know…,_ Near thought with compassion. He truly had been moved by the letter he just read. It wasn't something he normally experienced.

This made Near wonder… _'Did I ever feel that way about someone? I don't remember' 'Did anybody ever feel like that about me?' _and so many other questions. They truly were saddening thoughts. As he thought about it, he remembered. He remembered feeling that way.

Back when he was in Wammy's. After one of Mello's pranks (which Matt was always dragged into), he was sitting in the playroom and Matt came back. He apologized to Near. Near couldn't believe his ears back then, but he remembered that little spark. He remembered having that feeling of something like love.

Yes. Near had a crush on Matt. It hadn't lasted long, but he did feel somewhat the same way Mello did. Even for the same person. This made Near realize that he _could _understand human nature and feelings. If he were to be completely honest, he never understood other humans and their emotions. It all seemed so trivial, until now when his old and gone feelings came back to life. He didn't still feel in love, but he felt, for the first time, sorrow and grief. He didn't feel this way when L died, but when the two people who were the closest to friends he ever had died, he couldn't help the flow of emotions that came through him.

He shed a single tear and smiled. Despite the grief, he was happy to feel fully human.

Love works in funny ways. It can bring people together, but it could also make realizations come to life. And for Near, it was a new beginning.

**Okay! I know this is really out of character for me to write, but I just had to! I can't believe I wrote this despite the fact that I hate hate HATE Near, but the idea popped up and I couldn't restrain myself! I cried while writing the letter part. I just think it's so sad! But I hope you enjoyed! And those of you who were following my ongoing story, I will update soon!**


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